TROUBLE IN THE HOLY LAND

Druze leader to Hezbollah: Fight Israel, not rebels

(Associated Press) The decision by Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group to join the civil war in neighboring Syria and fight along President Bashar Assad’s forces was a historic and moral “mistake” toward the Syrian people, a leading Lebanese politician has said.

The harsh criticism by Walid Jumblatt, who leads Lebanon’s minority Druze sect, reflects his increasing pessimism about the bloody conflict next door, now in its fourth year.

Although he leads a minority sect, Jumblatt is a pillar and a mainstay in Lebanese politics and is often referred to as the country’s “kingmaker” because of his small bloc’s track record of tipping the balance during key votes in parliament.